Apparatus for raising sunken vessels.



No. 865,130. I PATENTED SEPT. s, 1907. P. s. Y XIMENBZ.

APPARATUS FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Manda ojZzaaf z i'rzekez.

www w,

ing Sunken Vessels,

of submergible pontoon, in. the class referred to, and

I To all whom it may concern:

N TEI) STATES PATENT, OFFICE i FERNANDO STAUDLY XIMENEZ, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

man-es Fort narsmesumn vEssELs,

I meag r),

Beit known that I,- FERNANDO STAUD 1' Xmimnz,

a subject of the Kingof Spain, residing at Chicago, in the county of (look and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Raisfication, I

My invention relates to an improvement in the of pontoons for raising sunken vessels My primary object is to provide a novel construction equip it with a cable adapted: to pass through the diagonal guide-tube in its shell, to afford therefor a taut "guide by attaching, one end of the guide-cable on a wrecking vessel and theaoppositeend immediately to the side of the :sunken vessel at which the pontoon is" caused to act by sinking it by the gravity ofits own weight, when filled with water, toward the point of attachment ofithe cable to the sunken vessel; the pontoonbeing provided with means for forcing out of it, while so submerged, its contained water with air-pressure to replace the water for resisting the pressure of the surrounding body of water and cause the pontoon discharging and supplanting the water in, the sub- I rnerged and anchored pontbon;, and means for indicating, above the surfaceof the body of water, the condition of the work in the procedure of expelling the water I from the, sunken pontoon with the supplanting air- I pressure.

lteferring to the accompanying drawings-Figure l isa perspective view, the nature of a diagram, illustrating the practical application of invention; Fig. 2, a sectional view showing my improved pontoon in one of the various forms in which it may be provided; Fig. 3, a sectipn taken at the line 3 on Fig. 2'and viewed in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 4, a section taken at the line 4 on Fig. 3 and viewed in the direction of the arrow;"I*ig. 5, a broken section taken at the line 5 on 2, viewed in the direction of the arrow and enlarged, Fig. 6, a broken perspective view illustrating one way of attaching.the pontoon controlling guidecable to the hull of a boatyandFig. 7, an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the indicating-float detail, showing the val vethere'of. l

At 7 is represented the shell of my improved pontoon in the form o f.a hollow sphere, though it may be provided ifi oblong-spherical,:cylindrical or other Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed August 6,1906. Sorielllo. 829,397.

oiwhich the following is a speci- Patented Sept. 3, 1907.

foi'm and of any desired dimensions, say iron item to thirty-fivefeet in diameter, when globular, or in length when of otherform, The body of the pontoon may be best constructed of plate steel by riveting together the plates of proper shape and rendering the hollow'body impervious ,to water and air. A tube 8, open'at both ends, at which it has sealed connection with the shell 7, extends diametrically through the latter and affords means for stringing the pontoon on its guide-cable 9,

for the guide-way purpose. hereinafter described. Within this tube'are shown to he provided four similar longitudinal ribs -10 at. equal distances apart, each recessed centrally .throughbutits length to afford bearihgs for teeth 11 secured by pivot-pins 12 passed transversely through them and the ribs affording their 'bearings. These teeth are preferably provided in stag-- gered order about the interior of the tube 8, from end.

to end thereof, anrLegch is resiliently propped by a spring 13 tending to project its free-end inwardly into extension of the valve 14, in which it is separably fastened, as by a set-screw 17, to permit the inlet-valve to be operated independently of the outlet-valve 15 when desired. The valve 15 seats inwardly in-its casing 17 within the shell 7 and is resiliently held against its meat by a spring 18 on a spider 19 in the opening in the shell controlled by this valve, which opening is surrounded outside the shell by a spoutsection 20 having a screen 21 secured over its outer end i to prevent the opening from becoming clogged by the float-ball 3O equipped with an outwardly opening checlqvalve 30". A water-discharge pipe 31 is permanently connected with the casing of the valve 24 and extends therefrom nearly through the interior of the shell 7; and a shorter air-outlet pipe 32 eitends into the interior of the shell fromthe casing oithe valve '25.

The shell 7 is shown to be provided at opposite points on its outer surface with rings 33, for purposes hereinafter explained, and it is also provided with a suitable manhole, indicated at 34, through which to gain access to the interior of the shell.

To apply my invention to its purpose of raising a .sunken boat, the procedure is as follows; A suitable wrecking ship, represented at 35 in Fig. 1, or floating I derrick, carrying divers and equipped with ordinary 5 air and water pumps (not shown) and with suitable means for winding and unwinding ropes, chains or cables, transports to the place for raising a sunken boat a sufficient number of the pontoons. These may be towed by the ship by attaching thereto a line of the pontoons strungtogether at the rings 33, as represented in Fig. 1. On reaching the proximity of a submerged boat to be raised, represented at 36 in Fig. 1, a pontoon to be placed is suspended at its rings 33 from the ship 35, as

' from pulleys on booms 36, 36, by ropes 37, 37 connected with capstans, or the like. A divertakes the end of the guide-cable 9 which contains a loop 38 (Fig. 6), and leads it to a port-hole in the sunken boat, when he passes a pin 40 through the loop, inserts the pin lengthwise and with it the end of the cable,through the port-hole 39, at the inner side of which he turns thepin to cross .the port-hole. The upper end of the cable is then passed through the tube 8-of the pontoon in the direction which will enable it to slip past the yielding gripping-teeth 11, and is fastened to a capstan on the ship 35 and made taut to anchor its attachment to the submerged boat. This describes one of various ways of attaching the lifting cable 9 to the immediate side of the vessel tobe raised. It is intended, however, to introduce the practice in ship-building to equip the hulls of ships with special means for facilitating the attachment to them of the pontoon guide-cables. With a guidecable'thus anchored to the sunken boat, a hose 41, con

nected with a water-pump on theship 35, is coupled with the nozzle 23, and, the valve 14 being freed from the rod 16, to drop from its seat 22 and rest against a stop or collar 42 on the red, the said pump is operated to fill the shell 7- with water for sinking the pontoon by gravity. The valve 25 is meantime open for the escape of air. The weight of the pontoon, in sinking, is sustained by the ropes 37 to take it off the guide-cable 9 and thus avoid subjecting the latter to possible injurious strainj and as the ropes 37 are paid out, they permit the gravity of the pontoon to sink it along the taut guide-cable close to the point of attachment of the latter to the sunken boat. On being thus submerged, and in sinking, the pontoon cannot slip backward on the cable 9, because the teeth 11 grip the cable in the direction of rise of the shell 7 and prevent it from slipping upward. With the pontoon thus attached to the boat 36, it is next 50 in order todischarge thewater from within the shell 7 and replace it with air under sufficient pressure to reinforce the shell from within' against the pressure of the.

body of water without. To accomplish this, the diver first fastens the valve 14 against its seat by securing it to the rod 16, and the hose 41 is disconnected from the aforesaid water-pump and connected with an air-pressure pump on the ship 35, which is operated to force air past the 'valve 14 into the shell 7, thereby opening the valve 15 to permit the introduced air to discharge the water out of the shell and supplant it. During this operation, the valve 25 is closed. Someof the water will pass through the pipe 31 and discharge by way of the hose 29 at the float 30, thereby showing a discharging stream of water until all, or substantially all, of the water is out of the shell 7, after which air will discharge from the float; and the accompanying noise of this air-' discharge furnishes indication that the pontoon is emptied of its Water-contents and ready for its lifting work. Thereupon the diver disconnects the air-pump from the shell 7 also the ropes 37, and he may sever the cable 9, as represented of the submerged pontoon in Fig. 1, or.its upper end may be disconnected from the capstan and attached to a suitable float (not shown) for supporting it and taking its weight off the sunken pontoon.

More of the pontoons, to the number required, are

handled and attached to the sunken boat at different points of its hull, in the same manner as described of the one. Thus attached, they are applied at the points of greatest advantage, because of the greatest 1 efficiency, by reason of being submerged substantially to the depth to which the sunken boat is submerged, of being eachindependent of the others in operation (though they may, if desired, be tied one to the other,

' in series, at their rings33)v and of being beyond interference from wave-disturbance. Moreover, and particularly, by providing for the attachment of the guidecable immediately to the side of the sunken vessel to which the submerged pontoon is adjacent, the diflicult operation is avoided of passing the cable transversely under the keel of the vessel.

' By providing a construction of pontoon in which the water-outlet and air-inlet valves may be rigidly con-- nected together to operate simultaneously, the expulsion of its water-contents is rendered more certain during the air-filling operation, since the water-outlet valve and air-inlet valve are unseated simultaneously at each stroke of the air-pump, thereby insuring the discharge of water from the pontoon by introducing -the air-pressure into it.

The provision of a spouting indicator operatingabove the surface of the body of water for showing whether or not the water is being properly expelled from the pontoon while undergoing the air-filling operation, and when the water has been all expelled, is an important feature, since it tends, in case the water-outlet .valve for any reason fails to act, to prevent injury to. the pontoon from the great pressure forced il'ito it.

The described clutch-construction input es secure holding of the pontoons'on their anchored guide-cables under all conditions to which they may be subjected, thereby enabling them to be placed regardless of the rough condition of the water in which they are sunk.

What I claim as new, and desire to 'sccure by Letters Patent, ls

1. A submerglhle pontoon for the purpose set forth. comprising :1 shell equipped with an air-pressure and water inlet valve and a water outlet valve, said valves being connected together to adapt them to work simultaneously, and a guide-tulle through the shell for a lifting-cable to dlrect the shell. by filling it with water for sinklng it, toward the polntof attachment of said/cable to a sunken vessel to he raised.

2. A sulunerglble pontoon comprising a shell hdving a guide-tube extending through it for a llfting cable attachable to a sunken vessel to be raised, an air-und-wutor inlet valve. :1 water outlet valve and an nlr vent, a rod carried by the water outlet valve. and means for releasably connectlng said inlet valve to'snid rod, whereby sold inlet valve may he operated independently of or slmultaucously with said outlet valve.

3. A submergihle pontoon comprislng a shell,'havlng a guide-tube extending throdgh it for a liftingcable attachable to a sunken vessel to be raised, an air and water inlet valve carrying a sleeve, a water .outlet valve and an airvent, a rod carried by the water outlet valve extending into said sleeve and provided with a stop below the same, and means for releasably fastening saidsleeve to said rod, whereby the air and water 'valve may be operated independently of or simultaneously with said water outlet valve.-

4. A submergible pontoon comprising a valveequipped shell, a tube extending through the shell and adapted to receivea lifting-cable for directing the shell toward the point of attachment of said cable to'a sunken vessel to be raised, longitudinal ribs on the inner wall of said tube,and clutch-mechanism comprising 'serlesot spring-pressed teeth pivoted to -said ribs and adapted to normally extend laterally into the path of the cahletoQer-mit the pontoon to be lowered and prevent it"from rising thereon.

5. A submergible pontoon comprising a shell provided with an air inlet valve and a water outlet valve, and means for attaching the shell to a sunken vessel to be raised, a tube extending into the shell, through which a portion of its Water-contents is expelled, a conduit leading from said tube, and a valved float on the end of said condult, for the purpose set forth.

6. A subnrergible pontoon comprising a shell, means for attaching the shell to a sunken vessel to be raised, an air-und-waterinlet valve and a water outlet valve on the shell, a valvedair-outlet tube and a valved water-outlet tube extending into said shelland having a pipeconnection, and a conduit leading from said common pipe and terminating in a valved float, for the purpose set forth. FERNANDO STAUD Y XIMI JNEZ. In presence of- A U. THolunN, J. H. LANDES. 

